Anchor for freight car panel



Nov. 23, 1965 w. E. BRUNING 3,218,766

ANCHOR FOR FREIGHT CAR PANEL Filed May 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "O O 0 O O O O j/ P\ V W '5 20 I 42 40J ll' 5- 38 H 37 /v s 4/ /v 39 z 1/ 35 a) INVENTOR 30 20 WILL/AM E. mum/v5 P w W 77 a 1454M BY ZWWEGZW ATTORNEYS Nov. 23, 1965 w. E. BRUNING ANCHOR FOR FREIGHT CAR PANEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1963 30 Has. 5;

WILL/AM E. BRU/Vl/VG United States Patent 3,218,766 ANCHOR FOR FREIGHT CAR PANEL William E. Bruning, Omaha, Nebr., assignor of one-half to International Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a

corporation of New York, and one-half to The Stanley Works, New Britain, C0nn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 1, 1963, Ser. No. 277,258 Claims. (Cl. 52-377) This invention relates to an anchor for a freight car panel, and, more particularly, to a means for securing the ends of straps provided as part of a barricade.

The invention finds particular utility in connection with barricades installed in railway freight cars such as bulkheads and grain doors. For many years, it has been the practice to install temporary doors across the door openings in boxcars to prevent the outflow of grain during the filling operation and subsequent shipment. Attempts have also been made to provide transverse barricades, i.e., bulkheads, for granular lading as well as for other types.

Relative to bulkheads, it will be appreciated that the problem of properly securing the transverse barricade is much more acute than with respect to grain doors. This stems from the fact that the principal movement of the lading during start-up, stop, humping, bumping, etc., of the vehicle is lengthwise of the car and thus tends to literally rip the transversely-extending bulkhead panel away from its anchorage on the wall.

As in the case of grain doors, it is possible to provide bulkheads constructed of heavy timbers which are securely fastened to the wall of the freight vehicle, but this expedient has long been rejected because of the cost and time of installation and removal. In the case of door barricades for grain, chemicals, and other unpackaged materials, those in this field have turned to paperboard, disposable barriers, reinforced by horizontally-extending straps. For the last decade or two, this type of door barricade has prevailed to the exclusion of the built-up timbers. However, attempts to utilize the same convenient, disposable barricade for bulkheads have met with failure.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an anchor for a strap-equipped panel which, in one aspect, solves the above-mentioned problem relative to transverse bulkheads.

Nothwithstanding the wide adoption of strap-equipped panels for use as door barriers, there still exists a problem of securement, since repeated nailing of the panel straps to the interior door posts of the vehicle results in splintering and weakening of the door posts so that, in time, the anchorage is unsatisfactory. In some instances, valuable quantities of granular material have been lost through premature failure of the barricades due to loss of anchorage. It is, therefore, an additional object of this invention to provide an anchor which is advantageous in securing a barrier such as a doorway closure, the closure extending generally longitudinally of the freight vehicle, as contrasted to the above-mentioned transverse bulkheads.

Since freight vehicles are used for a variety of ladings, it is desirable to have any anchor installed in an unobtrusive fashion yet be capable of multiple uses. For example, when shipments of granular material are made, it is often the practice to line the interior walls of the vehicle with a paperboard facing to prevent seepage, contamination, etc. Thus, still another object of the invention is to provide an anchor which is capable of securing a variety of barricades and one which is adapted for compatible installation with the liner of a freight vehicle.

In the past, the use of horizontal reinforcing straps has made it possible to provide economical and sturdy barriers. However, these barriers, even with the straps, tend 3,218,766 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 'ice to bow as a result of the stress imposed by the lading, Thus, any nails extending through these straps for the purpose of securing the same are subjected to what might be termed a claw hammer action wherein the strap exerts a prying action tending to unseat the securing nails. It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide an anchor for a strap-equipped panel which effectively minimizes this undesirable claw hammer action.

A further object of the invention is to provide a uniquely constructed anchor for a strap-equipped panel wherein elongated rigid metal members are made up with a plurailty of spaced-apart, longitudinally-extending elements defining along one longitudinal portion a pluralityv of nail-receiving openings and along another longitudinallyextending side a projecting rod-like member defining, with the first-mentioned portion, a longitudinally-extending strap-receiving slot.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen in the details of construction and operation set down in this specification.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a freight vehicle, partially broken away, equipped-with the inventive anchors and showing installed therein transverselyextending bulkheads;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken along the sight line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another fragmentary perspective view of a freight vehicle equipped with the inventive anchors, but here showing door barricades installed therein in a longitudinally-extending fashion;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the sight line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective elevational view of the inventive door anchor;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the anchor of FIG. 5; I

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the anchor seen in FIG. 6 such as would be seen along the sight line 7'-7 applied to FIG. 6; p I

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the anchor of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, in fragmentary form and partially broken away, of one of the elements of the inventive anchor of FIGS. 5-8; v t

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the end fittings employed in the inventive construction; and

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of one of the space elements provided in the invention.

In the illustration given, and with particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the symbol C designates generally a freight vehicle. It is seen that the vehicle C is generally rectangular in configuration, being defined by floor F, left and right side walls 12 and 13, and end walls 14 and 15. The particular illustration given is that of a boxcar wherein the side walls 12 and 13 are interrupted centrally thereof to define doorways 16 and 17. For the purpose of ease of understanding, certain irrelevant portions of the freight vehicle have been omitted, such as the undercarriage, coupling, etc.

It will also be appreciated that in the case of railway boxcars there are provided sliding storm doors positioned on the outside of walls 12 and 13 which serve to seal the car interior from the weather.

In the case of the showing in FIG. 3, a longitudinallyextending barrier D in the form of a grain door is seen to extend across the doorway 16 and secured to anchors generally designated 18. In actual practice, a second barricade (not shown) would extend across the doorway 17, being secured to like anchors 18'. p

In FIG. 1, the same anchors are seen, along with supplemental anchors generally designated 18 installed adjacent the vertical sides of the doorway 17, making it possible to support a bulkhead B between the transversely aligned anchors 18 and 18.

The general arrangement of bulkheads as seen in FIG. 1 is known to the art, although special expedients have been turned to in the past to remedy the anchorage problem, two of these being seen in the commonly-owned US. patents to Ford 2,949,866 and Bruning 3,025,804.

The problem of anchorage of transversely-extending bulkheads, for example, has been solved through the provision of the anchors 18 or 18', the details of which can be seen in FIGS. 511.

Referring now to those figures, it is seen that the anchor 18 includes an elongated body 19 (see particularly FIG. 5). The body 19, in one embodiment, is seven feet long and includes a plurality of plate-like elements 20. The elements 20, as can be appreciated from FIGS. 8 and 9, are transversely curved as at 21. Maintaining the plate-like elements 20 in spaced-apart relation are spacers 22 (see FIGS. 8 and 11).

In the illustration given, the .plate-like elements are constructed of A" steel, having a center offset of A" and a width of 1 /2". The spacers 22 are similarly arcuate and are /s" thick.

The spacers are provided in two sets, an upper set as at 22 in FIG. 6 and a lower set as at 22 in the same view. The elements 20 and 22 are connected together by means of a horizontally-extending bolt 23 equipped at one end with a head 24 and at the other end with a nut 25. The lower bolt assembly carries the same numerical designations but with the addition of a prime The bolts 23 and 23' also couple brackets 26 and 26', respectively, to the elements 20 and spacers 22 and 22. In the illustration given, the brackets 26 and 26' are identical, and the bracket 26, for example, includes an angle 27 having a first leg 28 and a second leg 29, disposed at right angles to each other. The extreme end portion of the leg 28 is equipped with a channel 30, against which the bolt head 24 is positioned. As seen most clearly in FIG. 8, the nut bears against the second leg 29 of the angle 27. For the purpose of inserting the bolt 23, the channel 30 in its outside leg 31 is equipped with an opening 32 (see FIG. 10).

As can be best appreciated from a consideration of FIG. 6, the channels or clips 30 and 30' are generally coextensive in height with the spacers 22, providing there by an open central portion as at 33. In the illustration given, the spacers 22 and the channels 30 have a length of 1%. and the distance between the interior spaces of the channel legs 31 and 34 is thereby accommodating a longitudinally-extending rod 35 :which is weldably secured between the legs 31 and 34 as at 36.

By virtue of providing the channels 30 and 30 at the top and bottom ends of the body 19, a longitudinallyextending slot 37 (designated only in FIGS. 2 and 6) is provided, which receives the ends of the strap S (see FIG. 2) of the transverse bulkhead B. In FIG. 2, it is seen that the bulkhead B is constructed of an inner liner 38 and an outer liner 39 confining therebetween a corrugated core 40. The flutes of the corrugated core 40 extend generally vertically, and interposed between the corrugated core 40 and the outer liner 39 are a plurality of the above-mentioned straps S. The straps S, as pictured in FIG. 2, extend around the rod-like member 35 and lie against the grooved face 41 of the body 19 provided by the elements 20 and spacers 22. Extending through the straps S are a plurality of nails N which assume a curved configuration dictated by the curvature of the elements 20.

In operation, the lading exerts a stress in the direction of the arrow 42 against the bulkhead B. By virtue of the configuration of the straps developed through the cooperation of the post-like element 35, the longitudinallyextending slot 37, and the grooved face 41, the straps S,

at their end portions, are maintained in a generally flat configuration, thereby eliminating any stress tending to unseat the nails N. The stress applied by the straps on the nails N, by virtue of the longitudinal movement of the lading indicated by the arrow 42, is effectively transverse of the nails, with no substantial longitudinal component tending to rip the nails N from their engagement between adjacent elements 20.

In FIG. 4, an alternative strap configuration is designated by the symbol S, this corresponding to the straps extending from a grain door D such as is pictured in FIG. 3. There, it will be seen that the straps S are again secured by nails as at N, with the straps being deformed around the projecting rod-like member 35 as at 35'. In the illustration given, the rod-like member 35 has a diameter, and since the same is anchored between the legs 31 and 34 along a diameter, the extent of projection of the rod-like member 35 beyond the face 41 is about Also, in the illustration given, the degree of curvature, i.e., A1." in a 1 /2" width, in the elements 20 has been found effective to securely seat the nails N.

In the instance where the anchor 18 is employed in conjunction with the transverse bulkhead B, the bulkhead B may be of greater height than the anchor 18, with the bulkhead being secured along an intermediate central portion of the height, the elongated, vertically-extending slot 37 extending only between the upper brackets. However, an advantageous stabilization of the unsecured lower portion of the bulkhead is developed by virtue of the provision of a floor flap 43, as seen in FIG. 4.

In operation, the anchor 18 may be welded as at W (see FIGS. 2 and 4) to plates P which are secured as by screws 44 to the interior walls 12 and 13 of the car C. As pictured in FIGS. 2 and 4, the anchors '18 are immediately adjacent the doorway openings so as to function either for securing a transverse bulkhead or a longitudinally-extending door. In some instances, it may be desirable to locate the anchors 18 a spaced distance from the door jambs for the purpose of blocking off a smaller area by a bulkhead. In such cases, the essentially flat rear face as at 45 (see FIGS. 4 and 7) permits the anchor to be integrated into the side wall 12 or 13 without interfering with any supplemental car lining.

The provision of the elongated slot 37 between the post-like element 35 and the nearest plate 20' (see FIG. 8) permits an alternative mode of anchorage which may be advantageous in certain cases. There, the strap S, instead of having its ends anchored to the nailing face 41, may be drawn completely around the post-like element 35 with the end clinched to an intermediate portion of the barricade B. In certain instances, this may be done on the side of barricade B facing the aisleway A (see FIG. 1) so that in such case there is no need for the cooper or other artisan to climb over the barricade.

In one advantageous form of the invention, the anchors 18 and 18' may be substituted for the usual door posts or jam'bs which conventionally are constructed of timber such as 2 x 2s and 2 x 4s. This eliminates the need for the plate P and the welding or tacking operation previously described. In any event, and irrespective of the disposition of the barrier, i.e., longitudinally or transversely of the car C, the elongated slot 37 provides'a ready access for severing the straps so as to remove the barrier at the completion of a trip. The number 'of straps employed in a particular panel or barricade is a function of the strap size (e.g., strength) and the stress to which the panel is subjected. In any event, the straps are usually provided at spaced-apart, vertically spacedapart positions so that the slight vertical space occupied by the channels 30 does not interfere with the satisfactory securing of the straps relative to the anchors 18 or 18'.

When the straps S or S (see FIGS. 2 and 4) are secured as shown by means of the nails N, there is provided an advantageous immobilization of the nails by virtue of having the arcuate slots defined by the spacers 22 oriented concavely relative to the post-like element 35. This provides for tension nailing without the need for reversing the angle of the nail, as was required with wooden door posts. In the past, the nails were driven partway in at an angle and then hammered from the side to develop the necessary tensioning. This is automatically developed with the configuration pictured.

While in the foregoing specification a detailed description of the invention has been set down for the purpose of illustration thereof, many variations in the details herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. In an anchor for installation in a freight car:

an elongated body adapted to be vertically oriented in said car, said body being equipped with a pair of spaced-apart channel members and an elongated rod-like member interconnecting said channel members and defining a continuous elongated slot means therebetween,

a plurality of nail-receiving grooves in said body adjacent said continuous elongated slot means.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said body, in the portion equipped with said grooves, defines a generally planar surface, and said rod-like member projects from said body beyond said planar surface.

3. An anchor for installation in a freight vehicle, comprising a pair of rigid angles disposed in vertically spaced relation, a plurality of elongated curved plates positioned between said angles and connected thereto, a plurality of spacers interposed between said plates, a bolt extending through each plate and spacer at each end for coupling said plates and spacers to each angle, a channel secured to each angle, and a rod-like element secured to said channels and defining with said channels and the adjacent plate a continuous elongated strap-receiving slot.

4. An anchor for installation in a freight vehicle, comprising a pair of spaced-apart channel members, a rod-like member mounted to said channel members, a nailreceiving portion mounted to said channel members and defining a continuous elongated slot with said rod-like member between said channel members, said nail receiving portion having a generally planar surface, and said rod-like member extending along a plane which is generally parallel to said planar surface and which projects beyond said planar surface.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said nail-receiving portion includes a plurality of slots, each of said slots being defined by spaced-apart arcuate plates with the arcuity of each plate being concavely related to said rod-like members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,483,523 10/1949 Brandon et al. -368 2,727,595 12/1955 Beltman 189-34 2,895,431 7/1959 Ford 160-368 3,025,804 3/1962 Bruning 160-368 3,029,869 4/1962 Willoughby 160-328 3,052,292 9/1962 Bruning 160-368 3,068,967 12/1962 Oakley 189-34 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ANCHOR FOR INSTALLATION IN A FREIGHT CAR: AN ELONGATED BODY ADAPTED TO BE VERTICALLY ORIENTED IN SAID CAR, SAID BODY BEING EQUIPPED WITH A PAIR OF SPACED-APART CHANNEL MEMBERS AND AN ELONGATED ROD-LIKE MEMBER INTERCONNECTING SAID CHANNEL MEMBERS AND DEFINING A CONTINUOUS ELONGATED SLOT MEANS THEREBETWEEN, A PLURALITY OF NAIL-RECEIVING GROOVES IN SAID BODY ADJACENT SAID CONTINUOUS ELONGATED SLOT MEANS. 